GARY, Ind. — A Gary couple is facing several neglect charges after five children were living in “deplorable” conditions — including cockroaches everywhere and feces on the wall, court documents allege.
The investigation began on July 20 after a neighbor observed a girl wondering outside of a residence in the 1200 block of West 17th Avenue in Gary.
The arriving Gary officer located the girl and spoke with the mother, identified as Maglene Kilgore, 36.
She told police she was at work and the girl “escaped” from the home and claimed one of her five children was responsible for caring for the rest of them and the home, documents allege.
Three of the children were transported to a hospital and were covered in filth, according to documents.
A search warrant was obtained by police to go into the residence after leaving the hospital. Police donned full body PPE gear due to claims the house was covered in filth.
Inside, documents state cockroaches were on the walls, floor, furniture, mattress and inside the refrigerator.
“Every item we touched seemed to produce dozens, if not more, cockroaches hiding underneath,” a detective wrote in a court document.
Feces was also spotted on the walls with the smell throughout the entire residence, authorities allege.
Police discovered that on July 2, the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) responded to the home on the report of the children being left home alone with poor conditions.
One of the children were found with a black eye and a broken arm that was in the process of healing, court documents show.
The parents, Kilgore and father Matthew Morgan, 34, blamed the condition of the home on one of the children and advised that the boy cares for his other siblings, documents state.
Both parents were interviewed by a Gary detective on July 21.
Morgan stated that both he and DCS were aware of the conditions of the home and claimed that the aforementioned boy is responsible for cleaning the residence while he is working, documents state.
Kilgore reportedly told police that she was aware of bruises and scars all over the children and they occurred from “fighting one another everyday, all day.”
She acknowledged that her home was infested with cockroaches, documents show.
Both Kilgore and Morgan were charged with seven counts of neglect of a dependent. Their next hearings are scheduled for Sept. 26.
Documents did not show the current status of the children.
The National Child Abuse Hotline is 800-422-4453.
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